Society

HCMC acts to cope with flooding

Irrigation lakes to be built to handle heavy rainfall and reduce flooding on the city's streets.

by Tue Doanh

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Center for the Anti-Flooding Program, the Bau Cat irrigation lake will be built next year as a pilot and if results are positive more lakes will be built.

The lake is expected to be 125 meters long, 32 meters wide, and 2.5 meters deep, and be able to receive 10,000 cubic meters of rainwater, helping to reduce flooding on 20 ha of land.

“If the City People’s Committee gives its approval construction will begin in the second quarter of 2016 and be finished within eight months,” Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung, Deputy Director of the Center, told local media.

At least 103 irrigation lakes covering a total area of 875 ha will be built in and around Ho Chi Minh City to help it cope with flooding.

An unexpected downpour caused unprecedented flooding on September 15 and triggered chaos on many streets in the City. Up to 142 millimeters of rain fell in two hours, the biggest downpour since 2008, while the city’s drainage system can only handle 85 millimeters of rain falling over three hours.

A recent report released by the city’s government showed that it requires a further $2.92 billion for such projects, or 65 per cent of the total funding needed.

The government has also given approval to the city to build a dyke network and eight river gates to control tidal flows in 2016, at a cost of $445 million.